On October 9th, Netflix released The Haunting of Bly Manor, a followup to last year’s The Haunting of Hill House. Whereas Hill House was inspired by one of my favorite books by Shirley Jackson (I’ve written about my love of her here), Bly Manor is loosely based on another one of my all-time faves—The Turn … Continue reading
{I first published this list in December 2014, after the grand jury decisions in the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. I’m revisiting it today as there are riots across the country after a string of events including the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN. So much has happened in between and yet … Continue reading
When I was sent to lockdown over two months ago, I was fortunate enough to have an enormous stack of books from the public library. I got a few notes on Instagram about how lucky I was, but, really, I am just a literary glutton. It is not uncommon for me to have over a … Continue reading
When I was young, I was a voracious and pretty mature reader. By mature, I mean I wanted to read above my reading level and, probably, my emotional level. My parents basically much let me read whatever I wanted. There was something so exhilarating about that. I felt free to explore, and when I read … Continue reading
I have a confession. I have never read a Judy Blume novel. As a woman who does girlhood studies, it feels embarrassing–like saying “I’ve never read Hamlet.” But, there it is. My BFF, Emily (who is getting married next weekend (!!!)) was an avid Judy Blume fan so, in my head, I can hear her … Continue reading
I was in a relationship with another person (I call him He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named) when the last few episodes of Friday Night Lights aired. I was gripped by the argument between Coach and Tami while he puttered about, not really understanding what I was so invested in, since he hadn’t watched the show before. If you haven’t … Continue reading
How do we teach traumatic subjects without hurting our students, especially when they are so beautifully narrated by the “bad guy”? This week I’m teaching Lolita in my American Literature survey course. Lolita is one of my favorite novels, but it’s also complicated and upsetting and centered on really touchy subject matter. I was both … Continue reading
The other day on the phone, I spent five minutes narrating what amounts to two pages of Leslie Marmon Silko’s Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit. In the introduction to the collection of essays, she explains why she went to law school and later why she left and pursued writing instead. Over the … Continue reading
Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to go to a workshop led by Ohio storyteller Lyn Ford called “Tell It! Developing Language Art Skills through Interactive Wordplay.” The workshop was put on as part of the Pedagogy & Theater of the Oppressed Conference. Because there were only six of us there, the session ended up … Continue reading
Mad Girl’s Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted by Andrew Wilson I’ve loved Sylvia Plath’s poetry since high school. And The Bell Jar. OMG, The Bell Jar. In college I even did an informative speech about her relationship with Ted Hughes in which I dressed up like Sylvia. It was also my Halloween … Continue reading
Ph.D.s and Pigtails 